Allagash 20th anniversary interview with Greg Devito

I don’t know when I started…8 years ago maybe. There were like 8 people at the company and we were all in one building. I spent a lot of time making boxes and putting stuff into boxes. It was pretty awesome. (2005ish)

Job Title: Cellar manager? Custodian?

Favorite Allagash Beer?

It’s like picking your favorite child, but Tripel. If that came out of my faucet instead of water I’d be ok with it.

Favorite Allagash Beer/Food pairing?

I love to save some Interlude for Thanksgiving every year. It’s perfect.

Have you always had this job or other jobs in the company?

I’ve always been in production, stared as entry level packaging help (like just about everyone else). I’ve done pretty much everything in the production world at one point or another. Now I walk around w/ a notepad mostly. I walk fast though. I still really, really like kegging.

What is your favorite part of working for Allagash Brewing Company?

I like the people. I like being involved in a company that prioritizes every individuals job satisfaction and life balance. The day to day beer making is gratifying in that the work is always changing and there’s always a concrete result to what we do every day….cold delicious beer. It is satisfying.

What is your favorite memory from working at Allagash?

I think my trip to Belgium w/ Rob, J-bone and Jess. It was just a super fun trip with a group of people that I really enjoy hanging out with. I loved visiting these old school Belgian breweries and seeing how they do things. There are so many different strategies out there for everything. It’s fun to find our own way.

That and getting wings at Samuel’s.

What is a crazy or funny Allagash story?

Crazy – I will never forget the time the brewery almost burned down. I was working Saturdays with another guy to help us keep up with demand one summer and when we arrived at the brewery Jason was there with the fire department and a brewery full of smoke. Apparently the pressure washer fried itself and melted and nearly destroyed the place. We didn’t get another pressure washer for the next 6 years.

Funny – Jared used to fall asleep all the time while he was corking 750ml bottles. That was funny pretty much every time.

How has Allagash changed you as a person?

I bought a house and had 2 kids and lost a parent in the time I’ve been at Allagash. I spend a ton of time thinking about the brewery and ways to make it better. At this point it’s so built into in my life and so many memories are tied to the brewery that it’s tough to say how it’s changed me. It’s a part of who I am at a very core level. If I had to pick something, the brewery has given me a chance to see that life is too short to spend your time doing things that don’t inspire you. In my former life, I just assumed that you did your job and when you got home life started.

What is it like working for Rob?

It’s like working for a big kid who still loves fart jokes! But he can also fix or troubleshoot almost any piece of equipment in the building, has an uncanny ability to gauge the industry and could not be more interested in the welfare of his crew. The first time he lit a fire cracker in the building while I was kegging, I was pretty much sold that he was on the level!